


Continuation of a Dream

by Esdeem



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Free day, SAO Pride Week 2019, Sappy, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 12:45:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18476515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esdeem/pseuds/Esdeem
Summary: Set in the same AU as "Parallels". Asuna and Yuuki take their first vacation together. Some simple fluff to finish off SAO Pride Week 2019.





	Continuation of a Dream

Sea spray kissed Yuuki’s cheek as the ponton’s engine throttled, the small boat bouncing on the waves. She wiped the water away from the small domed camera mounted to her shoulder, letting her once again clearly see the ocean spread out in front of them, not a hint of land in sight. Asuna sidled up beside her, taking hold of her hand and giving a gentle squeeze. Yuuki leaned in, using her taller girlfriend for support.  
  
“Holding up okay?” Asuna asked.  
  
“How many times are you gonna ask me that on this trip?”  
  
“One every half hour.” Yuuki had to turn the camera to see the smirk. She was joking. Probably.  
  
“All right folks,” a voice said over the speakers in English, “We just got word that we’ve had a couple of sightings a mile due south of our current location. We’re gonna zip on down that way and see if we can’t find that family.”  
  
Yuuki bounced on her heels like an excited child. “They found them! We’re gonna get to see blue whales!”  
  
“Don’t get your hopes too high. Remember, they thought the same thing yesterday.”  
  
“Today’s the day, I can feel it.”  
  
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”  
  
The entire vacation had been nothing short of magical, and Yuuki didn’t care if they saw nothing more than the sea lions gathered on the buoys just out of the harbor. She was in California with the woman she loved. What more could she ask for?  
  
-===-  
  
The vacation began as a conversation at the dinner table one night. Upon learning that Yuuki had lost her immediate family and the relationship with her next closest kin was strained, they insisted the young woman stay in their house until she finished her rehab and began school again. Asuna had been terrified when she first told her parents of their relationship, but they’d all but welcomed Yuuki to the family. Still, Kyouko held her to the same standard as her own daughter, insisting she keep her grades up and approach school with an eye to her future.  
  
That night her face betrayed nothing as he took a sip of her wine, then looked across the table to Yuuki.  
  
“I understand your physical therapy will be complete soon.”  
  
Yuuki nodded. “Yes ma’am. I should be finished with the sessions in a few weeks.”  
  
“Excellent.”  
  
Shouzou filled in the space with small talk about some new investments he was looking at, and the latest promotion that kept Kouichirou from the dinner table yet again. He would be spending three months at a branch office in New York City, and that was the opportunity Kyouko needed.  
  
“I’ve never had any interest in going there,” she said. “Tell me, Yuuki. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?”  
  
She pondered the question a moment. “Before Aiko and I were born, my parents went to southern California and fell in love. I always wanted to go. Maybe even take a boat out onto the ocean and see dolphins or whales!”  
  
“Hmmm,” Kyouko said.  
  
The day of Yuuki’s last PT appointment, Kyouko stopped Asuna by the door and pushed a folder into her hands.  
  
“What’s this?” she asked.  
  
“A flight itinerary for the two of you for your California trip in two weeks. With everything Yuuki’s been through, she deserves a vacation before classes resume.” she said.  
  
For a moment, Asuna could have sworn she saw her mother smile.  
  
-===-  
  
A megapod of common dolphins now flanked the pontoon, riding the bow and swimming to other side, fins breaking the water and camera shutters clicking away. Yuuki only needed to click a single button and the camera’s input was recorded on a flash drive in the AmuSphere. She’d gotten no shortage of attention when she arrived at the pier then boarded the boat. The clinical trials of the Kirigaya System made international news, and other guests plied her with questions about how it worked. The captain joked she might steal attention away from the ocean.  
  
She tugged on Asuna’s arm each time something caught her attention. A particularly scarred member of the pod, a trio of young adults apparently having a race, a mother with a young baby by her side.  
  
“I never thought I’d be able to share any of this with you,” Yuuki whispered. “Not in person, at least.”  
  
Asuna hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. “Now we get to go on adventures in the real world too.”  
  
“Ugh, speaking of that, did you see that message from Siune?”  
  
“Yes. Beating a floor boss with Kirito and Eugeo instead of waiting for us? What nerve.”  
  
“I told ‘em we’re gonna have a two on two duel when we get back.”  
  
Asuna smirked. “Not quite the double date Eugeo had in mind, is it?”  
  
“Serves them right for stealing our thing.”  
  
They both snickered and went back to watching the dolphins, holding each other close. At one point, one of the other couples on the boat even offered to borrow Asuna’s camera and get a shot of the two of them together with the dolphins jumping in the background. Yuuki had been seconds away from saying that only one thing was missing to make the day perfect when the captain turned their attention to the port side of the boat.  
  
In the distance, a massive tail fluke broke above the water.  
  
-===-  
  
Rather than venture out and explore more of the area, the pair opted to remain in their hotel room for the rest of the day, a cozy room in a bed and breakfast that overlooked the harbor and the ocean. Kirito had sent them a picture of he and Eugeo standing with the rest of the Sleeping Knights in front of the Monument of Swordsmen, with the message “Wish you were here.” Asuna fired back with the picture from the boat.  
  
“No thanks, we’re good,” she added with a giggle.  
  
“You two are adorable,” his IM reply said. “Stay safe and have fun!”  
  
Before long the pair ended up on a small sofa, eating lunch from the nearby deli and reminiscing about everything they’d experienced on the trip so far. Yuuki leaned up against her girlfriend, her camera and AmuSphere on the nearby table charging.  
  
“Hey Asuna?” Her voice was more serious than usual. “I’m… sorry I’m not more like my avatar.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“In ALO, I’m so much stronger. Nothing gets me down. Here, I’m still getting winded from short walks. You’ve always have to worry about me.”  
  
Apparently Asuna’s comment on the boat stuck with her. “Your stamina will come back before you know it.”  
  
“But I don’t think I’m ever gonna be running marathons or anything like that. I can’t see without the AmuSphere. And I’m so much smaller than the virtual me.” She hesitated before adding, “And I kinda think my avatar’s a lot cuter, too.”  
  
Asuna’s hand found Yuuki’s and their fingers laced together. “I fell in love with a brave girl who never stopped fighting her illness, who taught me that sometimes I need to fight for what I believe in, and who helped me find my own strength.”  
  
“And who beat you in a duel?”  
  
“The duel never finished, so it was technically a draw.”  
  
“Oh yeah, and you technically cheated with that punch.”  
  
“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”  
  
“Not until you admit it was a dirty trick.”  
  
“The only rule was that I couldn’t fly, and you’ll note that I didn’t use my wings once.”  
  
“One of these days, we’re gonna have a rematch.”  
  
“Fine,” Asuna said. “Just make sure you state the rules up front instead of making them up as excuses after.”  
  
Yuuki only giggled in response.  
  
“See, you’re fun to be with.” Asuna reached out and caressed Yuuki’s cheek, which made Yuuki blush. “Besides, as someone who looks at you every day, I can tell you that you’re very pretty.”  
  
Yuuki’s hands stretched out, and Asuna guided them to her face. Her fingertips traced the outline of Asuna’s face.  
  
“The first time I met you, I thought you were the most beautiful person I’d ever seen,” Yuuki whispered. “And you’ve gotten more gorgeous the more time I’ve spent with you.”  
  
As always, the contact ended with Yuuki giving Asuna’s nose a gentle poke. They still laughed every time.  
  
“Silly.”  
  
“It’s all your fault,” Yuuki replied.  
  
The first time they kissed, Yuuki felt like her heart might burst free of her chest. That intense pounding in her chest never faded each subsequent time. Nerves still built up as she pulled Asuna down toward her. She heard her girlfriend’s breath quicken, just as her own did. No adventure in the real or virtual worlds compared with feeling of Asuna’s soft lips against her. They all faded away in that kiss.  
  
Yuuki’s whole world was right next to her. She would never let go.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to end this week of stories with something cute and sweet, and I actually stole from real life. The events were inspired by a vacation I went on with my wife, and it was also designed to celebrate the end of a long medical ordeal. Again, this is a one draft and done story so it's not as well realized as some of my other work, but I really wanted to revisit this version of Asuna and Yuuki and end what has been a really fun week of writing on a happy note. Thanks to everyone for the kind words, kudos and reviews. It's been an absolute blast to rediscover how much fun writing can be this week. I also wanted to establish that Asuna still had a strong friendship with Kirito. And since it was a popular pairing for other people during this week, I threw in a little nod to Kirito/Eugeo even though I'm completely canon blind to all things Alicization.


End file.
